This present invention involves a method of operation of an internal combustion engine. An internal combustion engine includes a piston that is moved by rapid combustion of a fuel/air mixture, wherein fresh gas is first drawn into a cylinder chamber and then compressed, vaporization of the fuel contained in or introduced into the enclosed fresh gas is carried out, then combustion thereof is commenced and with the pressure of the combustion gases generated thereby the piston is acted upon (power stroke), which after performance of the piston's power stroke expels the exhaust gases from the cylinder chamber.
With known internal combustion engines the combustion chambers (e.g. of the Ricardo, Perkins, Hercules, Deutz, ACO etc. type) are arranged stationarily in the cylinder head, engine block and/or in the engine piston. In EP-A-1-0 074 174 is disclosed a theoretical proposal which provides a rotating preliminary combustion chamber in which a portion of a rich mixture is to be burnt, which is then intended to serve as an igniter of a leaner mixture in the ordinary combustion chamber.
A common feature of all embodiments is the design-related and process-related brief time for vaporization of the fuel and for combustion thereof It is also a drawback that combustion cannot be carried out under a volume which is kept constant, but takes place in a stroke volume between approx. -15.degree. before to +35.degree. after top dead center. This results in incomplete fuel combustion and noxious exhaust gases. In the case of fuels, which require more time for their mixture preparation (diesel), or for their combustion (alcohol), there is in addition a restriction on the maximum possible speed. The available combustion time is within an order of magnitude of about 0.001 s. Forced compromises such as, e.g., an increase in the excess air or tolerance of incomplete combustion lead to a drop in efficiency as well as an increase in emission of pollutants. With the known methods of operation a decrease in the excess air would lead to incomplete combustion, to further energy losses as well as to increased discharge of pollutants. Increasing the theoretical efficiency by lowering the exhaust temperature is possible only with increased expenditure on apparatus.
To lengthen the mixture preparation and combustion time, the fuel is already mixed with air in the carburetor or, in the case of indirect fuel injection, in the inlet port, with the result however that the problems can be reduced only to a limited extent.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.